I'm not sure exactly what happened to American TV audiences in the 1970s, since there was a general dumbing-down of programming. Really, if otherwise intelligent people actually wasted their time watching junk like "Starsky and Hutch", "Laverne and Shirley", "Happy Days", "Three's Company", "Charlie's Angels", "Welcome Back, Kotter", and "The Dukes of Hazzard", we as a society must have been either bored, desperate, or just plain clueless.
Once in a while something different and good would pop up, such as "Dallas" or "The Night Stalker". Heck, even bland family shows like "The Waltons" and "Little House on the Prairie" looked good against their juvenile competition. However, one series was really imaginative, bold, and different: "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman". This syndicated show was campy and ridiculous, but it was all in fun—it didn't pretend to be serious like the big network hits of the time. The show was also very daring, boldly taking on issues that the networks just wouldn't touch, really pushing the envelope with every episode. Like all good shows, the viewer always had to pay attention, and was rewarded with biting satire and some real laughs.
The story revolved around the day-to-day lives of the residents of Fernwood, Ohio. The cast was just perfect for the show, and included Louise Lasser (title character), Greg Mullavey, Debralee Scott, Dabney Coleman, Martin Mull, Victor Kilian, Mary Kay Place, and others. Since the show was syndicated, there was a new episode every weeknight, so writing and shooting had to take place at a lightning pace. It remained very unpredictable, fresh, and daring, even after Lasser left and the show ended as "Forever Fernwood" in early 1978. Clearly an imitation, "Soap" premiered later in 1978, but had neither the cast nor the one-of-a-kind style of "Mary Hartman".
Many people hated "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" during its original run, and others were just perplexed. However, it's a truly unique show that captures the 1976-78 period perfectly. Shout Factory released all 325 episodes in a DVD set in December 2013, so this classic and offbeat series is now available in its entirety. Unfortunately, "Forever Fernwood" was not included in the DVD release, but let's hope it will be released eventually.
Once in a while something different and good would pop up, such as "Dallas" or "The Night Stalker". Heck, even bland family shows like "The Waltons" and "Little House on the Prairie" looked good against their juvenile competition. However, one series was really imaginative, bold, and different: "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman". This syndicated show was campy and ridiculous, but it was all in fun—it didn't pretend to be serious like the big network hits of the time. The show was also very daring, boldly taking on issues that the networks just wouldn't touch, really pushing the envelope with every episode. Like all good shows, the viewer always had to pay attention, and was rewarded with biting satire and some real laughs.
The story revolved around the day-to-day lives of the residents of Fernwood, Ohio. The cast was just perfect for the show, and included Louise Lasser (title character), Greg Mullavey, Debralee Scott, Dabney Coleman, Martin Mull, Victor Kilian, Mary Kay Place, and others. Since the show was syndicated, there was a new episode every weeknight, so writing and shooting had to take place at a lightning pace. It remained very unpredictable, fresh, and daring, even after Lasser left and the show ended as "Forever Fernwood" in early 1978. Clearly an imitation, "Soap" premiered later in 1978, but had neither the cast nor the one-of-a-kind style of "Mary Hartman".
Many people hated "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" during its original run, and others were just perplexed. However, it's a truly unique show that captures the 1976-78 period perfectly. Shout Factory released all 325 episodes in a DVD set in December 2013, so this classic and offbeat series is now available in its entirety. Unfortunately, "Forever Fernwood" was not included in the DVD release, but let's hope it will be released eventually.